Mary Robinson, Walsingham

Carrie-Ann Prefontaine (University of Saskatchewan)
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Mary Robinson’s fifth novel,

Walsingham; or, The Pupil of Nature

, was published by T.N. Longman in 1797. Like her other novels,

Walsingham

addresses many political themes, such as women’s rights to inheritance, the value of personal merit over rank, and the importance of education for both sexes. In addition,

Walsingham

makes strong social critiques, particularly about socially-prescribed class and gender roles and about the dangers of excessive sensibility. The novel is also notable because of its generic mixing: poetry that is essential to the story’s development is interspersed throughout, and Robinson published these poems separately in newspaper poetry columns to popular and critical acclaim.

Walsingham charts the story of its eponymous hero from his humble birth to his

1192 words

Citation: Prefontaine, Carrie-Ann. "Walsingham". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 27 November 2007 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=8680, accessed 19 March 2024.]

8680 Walsingham 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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